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MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- A mindset, not parts and pieces, has been the key to Jimmie Johnson's success at the Martinsville Speedway. The same goes for Denny Hamlin.

While everyone else in today's Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 will concentrate on every detail of their race cars for the 500-lap race (1 p.m., FOX), Johnson and Hamlin will close their eyes to mentally prepare for the smallest track on the Sprint Cup Series schedule.

"I think that it really boils down to the mental status of the driver," Johnson said.

Johnson has six career wins at Martinsville; Hamlin has four. Together they've combined to win the last nine races at the paperclip-shaped track with Hamlin currently riding a three-race winning streak.

"The biggest thing for me is the fact that when we come here we expect to win and everyone expects us to win," Hamlin said.

A new racing tire has created a lot of confusion and frustration. Not only do they wear out quickly, they create marble-like balls of rubber that can send a car into a spin if it's an inch or two out of the groove. That kind of challenge only seems to increase the odds for Johnson and Hamlin.

"When you come to a track where you have a lot of success and you have a good car and a good baseline, it's easier to control emotions that you can work your way forward, you can pass people, and it's the set-up you're looking for," Johnson said.

Johnson qualified 17th on Saturday; Hamlin will start fifth.

"We're very confident," Hamlin said.

Jamie McMurray won the pole with a quick lap of 96.509 mph. Ryan Newman will start second, followed by Kasey Kahne in third, Joey Logano in fourth and Hamlin in fifth. Hamlin is the only driver among the top-five starters with a win at Martinsville.

The rest of the top-10 starters are: A.J. Allmendinger in sixth, Bobby Labonte in seventh, David Reutimann in eighth, Kevin Harvick in ninth and Regan Smith in 10th. None of those have won at Martinsville, either.

The track has long straightaway and the corners are more like high-speed u-turns.

For many, it's one of the most-difficult to figure out. Kyle Busch, for example, has 12 starts there with a career-best fourth-place finish. That's why he's asking to Hamlin, his teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, for some help.

"I've talked to him a little bit about it," Busch said. "It's kind of like me at Bristol: I might not tell everybody everything that I know so I don't know how much Denny is really telling me."

We all share our information all day long and it's just a matter of applying the right information for my driving style.

Kahne has his best starting spot in 15 career races at Martinsville.

But to improve on his record of only one top-10 finish, he not only has to deal with the tire situation, the track's tight corners, red-hot brakes and, of course, Johnson and Hamlin.

"It's rhythm and I think people get really zoned in on when to do what and how to do it and how your car needs to feel," he said. "That's something that I'm still working on, but Jimmie is awesome at it. Him and Denny are the two guys to beat every time you come here it seems.

"I think Tony (Stewart) and Jeff (Gordon) used to be and they're still right there, but Jimmie and Denny are the guys late in the race now. So, it's just a different place. It has a lot to do with rhythm, braking, throttle, steering and when you are doing all of those things. It seems like they've got it down."